~oOo~
Rogue slammed into Jean's body from the back and wrapped her arms around Jean's waist, snaking her hands upward and grasping firmly on either side of her neck. Rogue opened up her mutation and, like a tidal wave, Jean's essence flowed into her. The sensations were overwhelming and chaotic; relief, anger, fear, passion, rage, peace, jealousy. Rogue instantly understood that Jean had been dealing with the same bedlam in her mind that Rogue had been struggling with for the past year. But the Phoenix wasn't simply a manifestation of Jean's power; it was a separate entity. Something foreign and deadly. Something that wanted to dominate and control.
Rogue and Jean rose upward into the sky in a perverse imitation of a rodeo cowboy trying to hang on to a bucking bronco. Jean's body twisted and writhed under Rogue's hold and while Rogue lost contact from one of her hands for only the briefest moment, her other hand remained firmly in place. She could feel Jean's weakening psyche and Rogue knew she only had maybe twenty more seconds before Jean would be dead.
The Phoenix ripped through Rogue's mind like a firestorm, raging against her more intensely than anything Rogue had felt before. It was furious at being taken from its host, knowing that it would not be able to overtake Rogue as completely has it had done to Jean.
Rogue shut down her connection, knowing she had gone as far as she could to absorb the Phoenix. As Jean slipped into unconsciousness, her once close friend smiled weakly at Rogue. Her words sounded as soft and frail as the redhead looked.
"Thank you."
Jean's eyes closed and Rogue fought to hold on to the doctor's limp body as the Phoenix continued railing against her mind. The invader stampeded through Rogue's consciousness, trying every method it could to gain control physically and mentally over Rogue.
Rogue began to descend to the ground, hoping to deposit Jean safely before she continued to wrestle with the being as it struggling for supremacy. She made it fifty feet off the ground when her head was assaulted with images of fire. The heat inside Rogue's body was almost as intense as if she'd been placed in an actual furnace. Rogue's hands flew to the sides of her head and Jean Grey plummeted downward.
~oOo~
The last time Scott felt this helpless, he watched as the woman he planned to marry committed suicide in order to save the lives of the people she most cared about in the world. The memories flashed before him as real and as visceral as they were that afternoon at Alkali Lake.
Scott running to the exit ramp only to see the door shut in his face.
"No! We're not leaving! Lower the ramp!"
Knowing Jean was out there, preparing to die. Hearing her words in the voice of Charles Xavier, telling him that it was the only way to save them all.
"I know what I'm doing. This is the only way. Goodbye."
Here he was, watching as another woman he loved sacrificed herself for the well-being of every one of the people standing on the ground. They all watched as the two women fought in the air, twisting and falling as Rogue attempted to draw Jean's powers from her as if she were drawing poison from a wound.
Suddenly, the fighting stopped and the two women were descending when Rogue cried out and let go of Jean; the telepath's unconscious form tumbling toward the earth. He ran toward where she began to fall, stupidly thinking he could catch her safely, when a small voice yelled out from behind where he stood.
"I've got her!"
One of the young women who'd been captured reached out her hands and shoved them upwards in Jean's direction, as if performing a show stopping magic trick. Jean's body became enveloped in what appeared to be a large bubble of energy. The petite blonde lowered the sphere and gently deposited the doctor's body onto the ground. Hank and Storm moved to her side immediately.
Jubilee turned to the girl and grinned. "That was pretty awesome, dude."
The blonde's fair cheeks turned crimson at the compliment and she smiled shyly. "Thanks."
Rogue's best friend looked up in the sky only to see Rogue engaged in a battle taking place inside the woman's mind. Jubilee watched as Rogue's form diminished into the sky as she rose ever higher, fighting whatever…or whoever she'd just absorbed from Jean Grey. Jubilee stepped next to Scott and, once again, offered whatever comfort she could.
"She's going into the atmosphere, Jubilee."
"I know, Scott."
"What the fuck just happened?"
"Only Jean can tell us. Until then…we wait."
He whipped around, looking down at the diminutive Asian woman, angry that she was suggesting abandoning Rogue in her most desperate hour.
"We can't just leave her out there! We have to do something! Follow her, find her!"
"Scott, what do you want to do? Track her in the jet and hope that she doesn't kill anyone in it? Have Storm try and bring her down here? What if Rogue isn't able to control whatever this is and it kills both of them?"
"But…"
"Scott, I'm just as scared as you. I'm fucking terrified that I'm going to lose her. But she did this for a reason. She's got brass ones, man, and we have to let her be the big damn hero she is."
Scott wanted to find some sort of solace in hearing the same phrase Rogue had used with him on the Blackbird just before the mission. He'd told her she'd always been a hero to him and, the truth is, he'd always admired her strength and grace under pressure. It was those qualities that were so attractive to him. Scott looked into the sky and saw Rogue's form disappear just as quickly as Jean had been swallowed up by the rushing waters of Alkali Lake. The team leader's shoulders slumped and he felt his chest tighten with the all too familiar sensation of utter and complete loss.
"I don't want to lose her Jubilee."
"She's strong, Scott. Stronger than any of us know. She's coming back." Her small hand found his once again. "She has to…we've got a date with the mall." Jubilee squeezed his fingers and patted him on the shoulder with her other hand.
"I'll go see to Jean and you go talk to the G.I. Joes over there."
Jubilee watched as Scott walked toward the squad commander then took a moment to glance into the now empty sky.
"Get your ass back here, Rogue. I don't want to have to tell Logan you're gone."
~oOo~
The fire seared through Rogue's mind and body. She heard its voice as clear as Carol Danvers. It loved fear, fed on the idea of taking over another being, letting the power go free and consuming everything and everyone in its wake.
I will destroy you.
Rogue pushed the voice aside by slamming her mental barriers and Rogue felt it scream in protest. Jean was an incredibly powerful telepath. For her to lose the ability to control this thing meant that it had a level of power even Charles Xavier could not comprehend. Jean's memories flowed through her as readily as her power and Rogue could feel the anguish at not being able to control her actions. Rogue saw Jean struggle to cry for help only to be shut down by the Phoenix, her impotency mocked and ridiculed by the foreign presence. It knew Jean was afraid and that she would do anything to protect the ones she loved. It exploited that knowledge by suppressing Jean's personality and overtaking her day to day life. It couldn't push Jean out entirely but it had wanted Jean destroyed entirely.
Rogue wasn't about to let the bitch have that satisfaction.
She sped upwards into the sky, watching as Earth became smaller and the atmosphere more claustrophobic due to the lack of oxygen. The heat intensified and Rogue didn't think it was out of the realm of possibility that she might literally be consumed by flame any moment. She heard the familiar cadence of the wolverine as he encouraged Rogue onward, giving her the stamina to fight the invader in her mind.
She was almost to the stratosphere and Rogue knew that it was time to take the next step. Either she would be able to claim victory over the Phoenix or it would consume her and extinguish everything in its path. Closing her eyes, she tapped into the power rather than pushing to subdue it. Energy coursed through her and the force of the fire increased exponentially. Rogue could feel the flames lick her skin and she could sense the Phoenix's satisfaction, believing it was winning.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with, asshole." Rogue sneered, her voice as deep and low as the wolverine's.
Her arms spread out from her torso and she concentrated on the Phoenix's energy and power. Rogue centered herself and felt the rush of the oncoming explosion. The Phoenix's terrified shrieks of panic and fury reverberated through Rogue's mind. She felt the entirety of the Phoenix's emotions; pain, pleasure, selfishness and, most importantly, fear. Then her world erupted in a brilliant flash of white and orange light.
She managed to say one word before the darkness enveloped her.
"Logan."
~oOo~
He stopped, his claw embedded in the gut of a virtual Sabretooth, his face dripping with sweat. Her voice ripped through his head as clearly as if she'd been standing next to him. Logan roared with anger, the pain of her suffering as palpable as a punch in his face. He retracted his claws and ran full speed out the door of the Danger Room and up to the war room.
Charles sat in front of the video screen, listening as Scott briefed him on what had happened. Logan ran up behind Xavier, his voice growling with anger, his breath ragged from exertion of both dismantling the Danger Room and his furious arrival.
"What the fuck happened with Rogue, Scott. She called to me…she's...in agony."
Scott's head fell, the pain evident behind the brilliant red of his visor. If ever Logan had a doubt about the team leader's feelings for Rogue, it was erased when he saw Summers' devastation.
"She's flying. We're tracking her but we can't see her at this point. Jean is awake. Weak but physically fine. She said she was…infected by an entity calling itself the Phoenix. That's the reason for her complete personality shift over the last few years."
"That's why I couldn't break through her psychic barriers." Charles whispered to himself.
"After our rescue of the mutants, the Phoenix began to incinerate everything around her. The soldiers…she…" Charles and Logan watched as Scott choked on what he had to say, the images of what the being had done still so fresh in his mind. "It was going to destroy them all. Rogue saved them…saved us."
Scott didn't have to continue for Logan to realize what Rogue had done. She'd used her power to save the people around her. He felt both immensely proud and incredibly terrified at the same time.
"You said she's flyin'. Where is she?"
Charles pressed a few buttons and a second screen appeared where a small flashing red dot seemed to scream out to Logan. The professor spoke next.
"I know what you want to do, Logan. But we can't get to her. Not only is she close to the stratosphere, but she's unstable. She could harm the plane, putting everyone on board in jeopardy. We simply have to…wait."
"Fuck that, Chuck. I'm gonna take the other jet and find her. We can't just let her…"
His thought was interrupted by a scream from behind Scott. Charles and Logan watched as he turned to face the voice behind him. It sounded like Jubilee.
"She's falling! Oh, shit, Scott, she's falling!"
Logan ran forward and yelled at Scott. "Where! Turn the fuckin' camera on outside, Scott! Do it now!"
Scott's fingers frantically searched the panel for the right controls and, in an instant, the video screen realized a small figure hurtling downward towards the Earth. It was miles away from their present location.
They heard Jubilee's voice over the speaker. "You! Please! Can you do it for her!"
A contrite reply. "No, I'm sorry, she's too far away and going too fast."
Jubilee's sob pierced the air; a tragic soundtrack for the image in front of them.
Logan's body was racked with tension. His complete and utter helplessness made him furious.
"I shall go, Scott, take the jet and follow me." The tension in Storm's voice was palpable.
Scott barked orders to the people around him. "Strap in people."
The camera shook but stayed on its intended target. Now, the image of Rogue's body became clearer. She was careering downward, her form looking like a rag doll spinning and gyrating through the sky. As the jet ascended, they saw Rogue's body draw closer to the ground and Logan stepped back, his claws extending, wanting to release his anger on something…anything.
"God damn it! She's gonna be fuckin' obliterated!" Logan howled as he watched his unconscious mate just seconds from impacting the Earth at the velocity that would decimate any other object.
The camera picked up the developing clouds and watched as they formed a swirling vortex that moved on a course to intercept Rogue. Logan knew Storm was attempting to slow Rogue's descent but he also realized in his gut that her deceleration rate was too damn fast. She wasn't going to make it.
The tornado caught up to Rogue's position and she disappeared into the dark clouds. Storm flew to where Rogue would have landed and waited a moment before dispersing the weather system. The jet hovered and the camera continued to relay the image of Storm descending to where Rogue should be. Scott moved the Blackbird closer to the large mountain clearing and everyone watched as the last of the clouds dissipated from the area.
There was a gasp from several people aboard the jet.
Charles uttered, "Dear God."
Logan roared.
There, among the pristine landscape of the mountain clearing was a massive crater which held Rogue's motionless, naked, battered and severely burned body.
~oOo~
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